Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight in Nairobi. If you arrive early, why not check out the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum or the highly recommended Bomas of Kenya where traditional homesteads of some Kenyan tribes are displayed at an outdoor village. After your meeting tonight, maybe head out for an optional welcome dinner with your new fellow travellers. It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place. Petty theft is common in Nairobi. As a general rule, the safest place for your valuables is on your person in a neck wallet or money belt. There may be a safe in your hotel room or located at reception, though there is no guarantee. If you do decide to go exploring before the tour officially gets started, make sure you get local advice on where it is and isn't safe to walk – particularly at night. Be careful not to leave bags unattended on chairs or the floor when you're in a bar or restaurant. Appearing confident and vigilant is often the best deterrence to would-be thieves. Remember to make scans of important travel documents and email them to yourself.

Depart Nairobi this morning, stopping in Narok along the way for some food shopping. Today's drive crosses the Great Rift Valley – Africa's huge divide – to the remote region of Loita Hills. This is the home of the Maasai people and when you arrive, you’ll grab some lunch then visit the Maasai, known for their dazzling red dress and elaborate jewellery. Gain an insight into the culture and ancient ways of this proud East African community. A local elder will deliver a fascinating talk about the Maasai and what they're about. You'll also be shown around a traditional Maasai home and see where the resident cattle are kept. Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours. Wi-fi is not available and only minimal upgrades are on offer at tonight’s bush camp.

Travel from Loita Hilla to Maasai Mara today. The Maasai Mara is one of those classic African experiences – wide open plains, perfect blue skies and some of the world's great wild animals. After setting up camp, sit down to some lunch. Then, it's time to jump aboard your 4WD and go for a game drive through the wilderness of the Mara. Your travel time today will be approximately 2 hours. Your campground tonight is located outside of the national reserve and has flush toilets and showers. There is an option to upgrade, depending on availability. Wi-fi is not available.

Adventure into the reserve for a full day's 4WD game drive. You'll explore this diverse environment and most likely see a lots of different wildlife. An optional balloon ride over the Mara at sunrise is well worth considering. If you have pre-booked this activity, you’ll be picked up before sunrise and driven to the launch site for a safety briefing from your pilot. Then, glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, which provides amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you’ll ascend, getting an overview of the enormity of the plains and the early morning movements of the teeming herds. After landing, you'll be treated to a bush breakfast, then return to your campsite to meet up with your group.  An optional balloon ride over the Mara at sunrise is offered as a pre-booked service, which guarantees you a place. If you would rather wait and try to get a better price by booking this locally on the ground, you are welcome to—but keep in mind that this is a popular activity, and places are limited.

Travel towards the Kenya-Tanzania border and to the shores of Lake Victoria. This is not only Africa's biggest lake – it's the largest tropical lake in the world. It shares its shores with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. You'll arrive in the late afternoon, with time to chill out lakeside with a cold drink at sunset. Make the most of the ATM and local market to stock up for your next three days of wilderness adventures. You’ll be camping on the shores of the lake tonight, at one of its least visited campgrounds on the outskirts of a small town called Musoma, far from the tourist track. Your travel time today will be approximately 10-11 hours including border crossing. Your campsite tonight has wi-fi, and depending on availability, you might be able to upgrade to a room.

Today, you’ll travel from Lake Victoria to the gate of Serengeti National Park on a smooth road. Stop for a picnic lunch at the entrance to the park, then enter the Serengeti and start your overland vehicle game drive on the way to your campsite. These plains – green after rain and brown and burnt in the dry season – are home to thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators, so see how many you can spot! Your campsite is right in the action, within the park itself, so listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift off to sleep tonight. Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours. Your camp within the Serengeti National Park does not have a fence to separate the camp from the animals. This is quite the experience as animals such as buffalo and hyenas often come close to camp after sundown. Your leader will give a detailed safety briefing on what is required to ensure the safety of the group. There is no wi-fi or upgrades available.

Start the day with a game drive in your overland truck at dawn. You’ll head out while the animals are at their most active, then head back to camp for brunch. After spending the warmer part of the day relaxing as the animals do, depart again in the afternoon for another adventure through the wild. You'll return in time for dinner. There's the option of an early-morning balloon ride here too, so if you didn't take one in the Mara, today's your chance! The balloon ride is offered as a pre-booked service which will guarantee you a place. If you would rather wait and try to get a better price by booking this locally on the ground, you are welcome to, but keep in mind that this is a popular activity and places are limited.

Rise and shine for a final chance to spot Serengeti wildlife as you make your way out of the park this morning. At Nabi gate, hop aboard a jeep and descend into Ngorongoro Crater. This gigantic, perfectly intact volcanic crater is home to some 30,000 animals. Among these are endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos. The crater floor is great for game viewing all year round and the photo-opportunities here are next level. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater before heading back out on safari all afternoon. After, travel on to Karatu town and arrive at camp for a freshly prepared dinner with your group.

Take it easy this morning with a relaxed breakfast at camp before setting off for Mto Wa Mbu with your group. You’ll have the rest of the day free to explore. Mto wa Mbu offers a snapshot of small-town East African life. You might consider joining a guided village walk or maybe take a bike ride around the farming areas, spotting milling machines, local homes and farmlands. Or, round up your fellow travellers to check out the craft market. Transport costs to Manyara National Park vary depending on number of participants. This is approximately USD250 per vehicle, per day (max. 7 passengers per vehicle).

Pack up camp for the final leg of your journey to Arusha, where your adventure comes to an end when you arrive at approximately 10am. A departure transfer can be booked at an additional expense, to either Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK). Alternatively, you can continue to finish in Nairobi around 5pm. If you need to organise additional accommodation, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time. Any flights out of Nairobi should not be booked to depart prior to 9 pm. We highly recommend you book accommodation for tonight and depart tomorrow. Extra accommodation can be booked through your sales agent. The drop-off point in Nairobi is Hillpark Hotel. If you want to spend some time exploring Stone Town and swimming in the crystal clear waters of Zanzibar, we recommend checking out our Real East Africa & Zanzibar (YGYZC) trip!